General Operating Information - GRAUPNER LIPO BALANCER CHARGER 2-3S Operating Manual

General Operating Information

• To avoid short-circuits between the crocodile
plugs fitted to the charger lead, please always
connect the charger lead to the charger first,
and only then to the battery to be charged.
Reverse the sequence when disconnecting.
Check before using the charger
Before charging please check the following
points: are all connections firm and secure, i.e.
no intermittent contacts?
Please bear in mind that it can be dangerous to
fast-charge batteries. For example, if there is a
brief interruption due to an intermittent contact,
the result is inevitably a malfunction such as a
restart of the charge process, or an incorrect cell-
count detection, which could result in the pack
being massively overcharged.
Charging batteries
When a battery is charged, electrical current is fed
into it at the rate of max. 1.1 A. The charger auto-
matically adjusts the charge current, and reduces it
when the final charge voltage is reached.
• Batteries must always be supervised when on
charge.
• Batteries MUST be placed on a fire-proof surface
for charging.
• Never attempt to recharge defective or inflated
Lithium cells!
• Connect the battery to be charged using genuine
GRAUPNER-EH balancer connectors for Lithium-
Polymer cells.
• Ensure that all connectors and terminal clamps
make good, sound contact. For example, if there is
a brief interruption due to an intermittent contact, the
result is inevitably a malfunction such as a restart of
the charge process, which would result in the pack
being massively overcharged.
Lithium-Polymer cells
This charge program is only suitable for charging Li-
thium-Polymer batteries with a nominal cell voltage
of 3.7 V.
The main outstanding feature of Lithium batteries is
their much higher capacity compared to other battery
types.
This is an important advantage, but it is balanced by
the requirement to handle the batteries differently,
especially with respect to charging and discharging,
if the danger of using them is to be minimised. There
are important basic rules governing the handling of
these cells, and they must be observed at all times.
For additional information and safety notes please
study the battery manufacturer's published specifi-
cations. The fundamental rule is that Lithium-based
batteries may ONLY be charged using special char-
gers which are designed and set for the actual battery
type (final charge voltage, capacity). The method of
charging these batteries is different to the one em-
ployed with Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries, and is based
on what is known as a constant current / constant
voltage process. The charge current required varies
according to the battery capacity, and is set automa-
tically by the charger.
Lithium batteries are generally charged at 1 - 2 C (1
C charge current = capacity charge current. Example:
with a battery capacity of, say, 1500 mAh the corre-
sponding 1 C charge rate is 1500 mA, or 1.5 A). On
this charger the charge current is set to max. 1.1 A.
Once the battery reaches the final charge voltage
appropriate to the specific battery type, the charger
automatically reduces the charge current in order to
prevent the final charge voltage being exceeded.
The charger does also balance the voltage of the sin-
gle cells, if it's different, so this increases safety and
the life time of the battery.
Liability Exclusion
As manufacturers, we at GRAUPNER are not in a po-
sition to ensure that you observe the correct methods
of operation when installing, using and maintaining
this product. For this reason we are obliged to deny
all liability for loss, damage or costs which are incur-
red due to the incompetent or incorrect use and ope-
ration of our products, or which are connected with
such operation in any way.
Components and accessories
As manufacturer of this product, the company of
GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG recommends the
use of associated components and accessory pro-
ducts which have been checked and approved by
GRAUPNER for their suitability, proper function and
safety. In such cases GRAUPNER accepts respon-
sibility for these products on your behalf. We are un-
able to accept liability for parts or accessories made
by other manufacturers, which are not expressly ap-
proved by GRAUPNER, as we are not in a position to
assess every individual non-Graupner item to decide
whether it represents a safety risk or not.
Operating Information 7